See if you pre-qualify

Built it with your own money?

Up to $500,000 For the build you already paid for.

  • 100% of submitted files funded
  • $10M+ funded to date
See if you pre-qualifyWhat lenders need
After close, an owner proudly wipes down his new espresso machine while his partner teases him

You built it with your own money. Under the government-backed Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP), build costs and equipment you paid for in the 365 days before your loan is approved can often still be financed. That puts the cash back in your business. The loan comes from a bank or credit union. We don't lend. We build the application and take it to the right lender. You bring the documents only you can get. We do everything else.

We win when you win.Our shared success compensation is only paid when you're funded.

Where we take your application

  • RBC
  • TD
  • BMO
  • Scotiabank
  • CIBC
  • National Bank of Canada
  • Desjardins
  • Meridian
  • BDC

What a lender needs when the build is paid for

The build is done. Now the paperwork.

Financing costs you have already paid is about proof: what you spent, when, and on what.

  1. The 365-day window

    What counts is when you paid. Costs paid within 365 days before the loan is approved, or conditionally approved, can be included. Anything older is outside the program, so the dates matter.

  2. Invoices and proof of payment

    Every cost needs an invoice, not a quote or sales order. It must be made out to your company, not to you, with proof you paid it.

  3. A lease that can carry the loan

    The loan is still paid off over your lease, so the lease has to be long enough to carry it. Lenders want ten years, or five years with a five-year renewal.

  4. A plan and a forecast, still

    The restaurant is built, but the lender still wants to see the restaurant can make the payments. We build the plan and a forecast with every assumption shown.

  5. Your credit and your net worth

    The same checks as any application: credit history, personal tax returns filed for the last two years, and your net worth to back your personal guarantee, which can include home equity.

See if you pre-qualify

How it works

From first call to funded.

Seven steps. You are only asked for the things only you can provide. Everything else is ours.

Yours
Bank statements, tax returns, the lease, quotes and invoices. The documents only you can get.
Ours
Everything else on this page. The plan, the numbers, the budget, choosing the bank, applying, the back and forth, and getting the money paid out.
A man on a phone call at a café table with a coffee in front of him, black and white
  1. 01

    Check if you qualify and pick the right bank

    First, we find out whether you are a strong candidate and what the best route is. We ask the lenders we know what they are funding right now and look for the best terms for your goals. If we do not see a way forward, we tell you on that first call rather than taking your time.

  2. 02

    We check everything first

    We gather your documents and look for problems before the bank does. Some things are an instant no under this program, and we would rather find them early than in front of a lender.

    • Personal and corporate tax returns
    • Your credit report, and what a lender will read into it
    • Your net worth, and the cash you are putting in
    • Your lease, its length, and any clause that lets the landlord end it early
    • Competitors and comparable restaurants
    • Your restaurant experience and the team around you
  3. 03

    The business plan

    A written plan that tells your story the way a bank reads it, delivered as a designed, password-protected web page the lender can open on their phone. It covers:

    • Executive summary
    • Company overview
    • Management team
    • Products and services
    • Market opportunity
    • Marketing and sales strategy
    • Operations plan
    • Financial projections and debt servicing
    • Use of funds
    • Why this works
    • Appendices
  4. 04

    The financial model

    A three-year forecast in Excel, built the way a restaurant CFO would build it, with every assumption visible so the bank can check it. It covers:

    • Assumptions
    • Revenue build
    • P&L, three-year forecast
    • Break-even analysis
    • Sensitivity analysis
    • Monthly cash flow projections
    • Projected balance sheet
    • Rent schedule
    • Loan amortization schedule
    • Full capex schedule
  5. 05

    Lender match and submission

    We work with your own bank, or match you to the lender that lends to restaurants and fits your profile. Lenders change what they will do all the time, so the match matters as much as the application. Then the whole package goes in at once: plan, forecast, budget, quotes, invoices and every supporting document, in one organized online folder the lender can move through quickly.

  6. 06

    Approved

    Approval is the lender's decision and nobody can promise it. What we control is a complete application in front of the right lender, which is why every one we have submitted so far has been approved and funded.

  7. 07

    Funded, and the money in your account

    Approval is not cash yet. The bank pays the loan out in stages, and each payment needs the right invoices and proof of payment. We manage the payout for you and prepare all of it, so each payment moves quickly.

Brands we've worked with

Funded

Files we took all the way through.

Every application we've submitted has been funded. Over $10 million so far, and about 100 hours saved for each client.

Funded

TorontoTD

Toronto restaurant

A Toronto restaurant, funded with TD. We built the plan, the numbers and every document, and saw it through to funding.

Funded

Burlington, OntarioAsset purchase

Buying an existing restaurant

An asset purchase rather than a build, which means an appraisal, an inherited lease, and two years of the seller's statements and returns. Financed through a credit union.

Funded

OntarioCSBFP

Independent restaurant

Every document, the plan and the forecast, taken to Meridian and through three rounds of questions to approval.

Funded

OntarioCSBFP

Bar build

A ground-up bar, financed on projections rather than history, because there was no trading history for the location to lean on.

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On Instagram

Follow the funding.

@restaurantfinancingcanada

What it costs

What's the investment?

One small investment to start. The rest only when you're funded.

To start, there is a project launch investment. It covers the early work. The amount depends on your project and on how many owners are applying, so we quote it once we've seen your deal.

Once you're approved and funded, there's shared success compensation. It scales with the funding you receive. Both are small next to the loan, and worth it. We walk through all of it before we begin.

The good news: where the lender allows it, both can be included in your loan.

We also help you negotiate the best terms and value with your lender. Think of us as your partner in getting funded, and in getting a better deal.

No surprises. We explain every term before you sign.

See if you pre-qualify

We win when you win.Our shared success compensation is only paid when you're funded.

Two glasses of red wine clinking over a table of shared plates in a restaurant, black and white
Adam Gilbert

Who you deal with

I speak restaurant. I speak bank.

Hi, I'm Adam Gilbert. I've spent my career in the restaurant business, on the finance and marketing side. That includes senior marketing and finance roles at one of Canada's best known restaurant groups, through its sale to the country's largest full-service operator.

I run Sweet Sauce Hospitality Partners, and I am building my own restaurant concepts, so I am not advising from the sidelines. I know what a build really costs, and what the bank will ask before it asks.

A good business plan tells your story, then backs it up with numbers. It has to make the bank believe in your restaurant, and then prove it.

Let's get yours funded.

Questions

Already built FAQs.

Straight answers. Including the ones where the honest answer is that it depends on your lender.

See if you pre-qualify
Do you lend the money?

No. The loan comes from a bank or credit union, through the Canada Small Business Financing Program, a Government of Canada program. The government guarantees a large share of the loan for the lender. We are a brokerage: we build the application, take it to the right lender and see it through to funding.

What records do I need for costs I already paid?

Proof of what you spent, when, and on what. The earlier we see it, the sooner we know what qualifies.

  • An invoice for each cost, not a quote, purchase order or sales order
  • Invoices made out to the operating company, not to you personally
  • Proof of payment for each invoice
  • Payment dates, since only costs paid within 365 days before approval count
What if some of my costs are older than 365 days?

Those fall outside the program. Costs paid within the window can still be included, so we sort your invoices by date early and build the file on what qualifies.

How much funding can I get?

Most restaurant owners we work with qualify for between $200,000 and $500,000. $500,000 is the program limit for the build, the equipment and costs like franchise fees, and up to $150,000 of that can be working capital. Buying the building too? The limit is higher, so tell us early and we will quote the right number.

What is the Canada Small Business Financing Program?

The Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) is a federal program that helps small businesses borrow through banks and credit unions. The government guarantees a large share of the loan for the lender. That guarantee is what makes restaurant lending workable for a bank. To qualify you must be a for-profit Canadian business with under $10 million in annual revenue.

  • The build, such as your kitchen or dining room
  • Equipment, from ovens and fryers to point of sale
  • Furniture and fixtures
  • Franchise fees and working capital

The Government of Canada program page

How long does it take?

It depends on two things: how fast we get your documents, and how long the lender takes to decide. We can speed up the first. Once we see your project, we will give you an honest timeline for both.

Can you guarantee I will be approved?

No, and be careful of anyone who says otherwise. The decision belongs to the lender. What we control is how complete your application is, and which lender sees it. That is where we focus, and it is why every application we have submitted so far has been funded.

Where do you work?

Across Canada. The CSBFP is a federal program and we work remotely, so where you are does not matter. We are based in Toronto and work with owners in the Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City. Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City are handled in French or English.

I already built the restaurant with my own money. Can I still use the program?

Often, yes. The program can cover costs you paid in the 365 days before the loan is approved. That money comes back into your business. Anything paid earlier does not count, so the dates matter.

Read the program guidelines